Mabillon, John

, a very learned French writer,
was born Nov. 23, 1632, at Pierre-mont, on the frontiers
of Champagne. He was educated in the university of
Rheims, and afterwards entered into the abbey of the
Benedictines of St. Remy; where he took the habit in
1653, and made the profession the year following. He
was looked upon at first as a person that would do honour
to his order; but a perpetual head-acb, with which he was
afflicted, almost destroyed all the expectations which were
conceived of him. He was ordained priest at Amiens in
| 1660; and afterwards, lest too much solitude should
injure his health, which was not yet re-established, was
sent by his superiors to St. Denis, where he was appointed,
during the whole year 1663, to shew the treasure and monuments of the kings of France. But having there unfortunately broken a looking-glass, which was pretended
to have belonged to Virgil, he obtained leave to quit an
employment, which, as he said, frequently obliged him to
relate things he did not believe. As the indisposition of
his head gradually abated, he began to shew himself more
and more to the world. Father d’Acheri, who was then
compiling his “Spicilegium,” desiring to have some young
monk, who could assist him in that work, Mabillon was
chosen for the purpose, and accordingly went to Paris in
1664, where he was very serviceable to d’Acheri. This
began to place his talents in a conspicuous light, and to
shew what might be expected from him. A fresh occasion
soon offered itself to him. The congregation of St. Maur had
formed a design of publishing new editions of the fathers,
revised from the manuscripts, with which the libraries of
the order of the Benedictines, as one of the most ancient,
are furnished. Mabillon was ordered to undertake the
edition of St. Bernard, which he had prepared with great
judgment and learning, and published at Paris, in 1667,
in two volumes folio, and nine octavo. In 1690 he published a second edition, augmented with almost fifty letters,
new preliminary dissertations, and new notes; and just
before his death was preparing to publish a third. He
had no sooner published the first edition of St. Bernard,
than the congregation appointed him to undertake an
edition of the “Acts of the Saints of the order of Benedictines;” the first volume of which, he published in 1668,
and continued it to nine volumes in folio, the last of which
was published in 1701. The writers of the “Journal de
Trevoux” speak not improperly of this work when they
say that “it ought to be considered, not as a simple collection of memoirs relating to monastic history, but as a
valuable compilation of ancient monuments; which, being
illustrated by learned notes, give a great light to the most
obscure part of ecclesiastical history.” The prefaces alone,“say they,” would secure to the author an immortal reputation. The manners and usages of those dark ages are
examined with great care; and an hundred important
questions are ably discussed.“Le Clerc, in the place
| referred to above, from which we have chiefly drawn our
account of Mahillon, has given us one example of a question occasionally discussed by him in the course of his
work, concerning the use of unleavened bread, in the celebration of the sacrament. Mabillon shews, in the preface to the third age of his” Acta Sanctorum,“t’hat the
use of it is more ancient than is generally believed; and,
in 1674, maintained it in a particular dissertation, addressed to cardinal Bona, who was before of a contrary
opinion. But the work which is supposed to have done
him the most honour is his” De re diplomatica libri sex,
in quibus quicquid ad veterum instrumentorum antiquitatem, materiam, scripturam et stilutn; quicqnid ad sigilla,
monogrammata, subscriptiones, ac notas chronologicas;
quicquid inde ad antiquariam, historicam, forensemque
disciplinam pertinet, explicatur, et illustratur. Accedunt
commentarius de antiquis regum Francorum palatiis, veterum scripturarum varia specimina tabulis LX. comprehensa, nova ducentorum et amplius monumentoruoi collectio," Paris, 1631, folio. The examination of almost an
infinite number of charters and ancient titles, which had
passed through his hands, led him to form the design of
reducing to certain rules and principles an art, of which
before there had been only very confused ideas. It was a
bold attempt; but he executed it with such success, that
he was thought tp have carried it at once to perfection.

In 1682 he took a journey into Burgundy, in which M.
Colbert employed him to examine some ancient titles relating to the royal family. That minister received all the
satisfaction he could desire; and, being fully convinced
of Mabillon’s experience and abilities in these points, sent
him the year following into Germany, in order to search
there, among the archives and libraries of the ancient
abbeys for materials to illustrate the history of the church
in general, and that of France in particular. He spent five
months in this journey, and published an account of it.
He took another journey into Italy in 1685, by order of
the king of France; and returned the year following with
a very noble collection of above three thousand volumes of
rare books, both printed and manuscript, which he added
to the king’s library; and, in 1687, composed two volumes
of the pieces he had discovered in that country, under the
title of “Museum Italicum.” After this he employed
himself in publishing other works, which are strong
|
evidences of his vast abilities and application. In 1698 he
published a Latin letter concerning the worship of the unknown saints, which he called “Eusehii Romani ad Theophilum Gallum epistola.” The history of this piece does
credit to his love of truth, and freedom from traditional
prejudices. While at Rome he had endeavoured to inform himself particularly of those rules and precautions,
wh:ch were necessary to be observed with regard to the
bodies of saints taken out of the catacombs, in order to be
exposed to the veneration of the public. He had himself
visited those places, and consulted all persons who could
give him light upon the subject; but five or six years
elapsed after his return to France, without his having ever
thought of making use of these observations. In 1692,
however, he drew up the treatise above-mentioned; in
which he gave it as his opinion, that the bodies found in
the catacombs were too hastily, and without sufficient
foundation, concluded to be the bodies of martyrs. Still,
aware this was a subject of a very delicate nature, and thai
such an opinion might possibly give offence, he kept it by
him five years, without communicating it to above one
person; and then sent it, under the seal of secresy, to
cardinal Colloredo at Rome, whose opinion was, that it
should not be published in the form it was then in. Nevertheless, in 1698 it was published; and, as might easily be
foreseen, very ill received at Rome; and after many complaints, murmurs, and criticisms, it was in 1701 brought
before the Congregation of the Index, and Mabillon fou.id
it necessary to employ all his interest to prevent the censure of that body. Nor, perhaps, could he have averted
this misfortune if he had not agreed to publish a new
edition of it; in which, by softening some passages, and
throwing upon inferior officers whatever abuses might be
committed with regard to the bodies taken out of the catacombs, he easily satisfied his judges; who, to do them
justice, had a great esteem for his learning and virtues,
and were not very desirous of condemning him.

This eminent man died of a suppression of urine, at the
abbey of St. Germain-des-Pres, in Dec. 1707. His great
merit had procured him, in 1701, the place of honorary
member of the academy of inscriptions. Du Pin tells us
thac “it would be difficult to give Mabillon the praises he
deserves: the voice of the public, and the general esteem
of all the learned, are a much better commendation of him
| than any thing we can say. His profound learning appears from his works: his modesty, humility, meekness^
and piety, are no less known to those who have had the
least conversation with him. His style is masculine, pure,
clear, and methodical, without affectation or superfluous
ornaments, and suitable to the subjects of which he has
treated.” Few men were more honoured by the notice of
the great than Mabillon, and to this he was entitled both
by his virtues and his extensive learning. PopeClement XI. paid him the compliment to write to father
Iluinart, expressing his hopes that the remains of such a
man had been interred with the honours due to him.
“Every man of learning who goes to Paris,” said cardinal
Colloredo, “will ask where you have placed him”.1

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